CURRENT AFFAIRS
Italy requests EU sanctions against Ben Gvir
21 May 2026
"I asked High Representative Kallas to bring a sanctions proposal against Minister Ben Gvir to the Foreign Affairs Council" — Antonio Tajani, Italian Foreign Minister
Legal comment
Italy's request for individual sanctions against an Israeli minister represents the concrete application of the mechanism provided for in ARSIWA arts. 40-41: a State refusing to recognise another State's conduct as lawful and adopting concrete measures in response. This is exactly the model invoked by this manifesto.
Implications
If the EU Council of 15 June 2026 were to adopt sanctions against Ben Gvir, it would be the first European punitive measure on an individual basis against a member of the Israeli government. The support of France and the Netherlands makes the prospect concrete — and demonstrates that civic pressure produces real effects.
Sources: ANSA · Euronews · The National · Brussels Signal · וואלה